Newshour

Jesse Jackson, the US civil rights leader who was one of the most prominent African American political figures, has died at the age of 84. We speak to one of his former advisers.
Also on the programme: a second round of indirect talks between the US and Iran has ended in Geneva; and the Ukrainian government funding a programme that allows soldiers to freeze their sperm.
(Photo: Jesse Jackson during a visit to England in November 2008 to talk about political representation of ethnic minorities. Credit: BBC)

Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Qatar have condemned Israeli plans to push forward with the registration of parts of the occupied West Bank as Israeli state land. The move will pave the way for further settlement expansion in the Palestinian territory. Decades-old regulations barring non- Muslims from buying land in the West Bank will no longer apply.
Also in the programme: The pioneering black figure skater whose backflip at the Olympics thirty years ago was a brilliant move marked down by the judges; how AI is already transforming farming; and we look back at the life of the acclaimed american actor Robert Duvall - who's died at the age of ninety-five.
(Photo: A woman walks past a dirt barrier that was recently placed by the Israeli military, at the main entrance to Luban e-Sharkiya, between Nablus and Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 16, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Ammar Awad)

European leaders and military chiefs make the case for increasing defence spending. A former head of the British military tells us investment is needed across the board, and that Europe is – and must be - able to defend itself without the US.
Also in the programme: Israel's cabinet votes in favour of beginning a process of land registration in the West Bank, a move condemned by Palestinians as ‘de-facto annexation'; and a row breaks out over potential cheating in the curling - at the Winter Olympics.
(IMAGE: Dutch Navy ship Johan de Witt heads to Arctic for NATO exercise, Den Helder, Netherlands - 16 Feb 2026/ CREDIT: Dingena Mol/EPA/Shutterstock)

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Aragchi is on his way from Tehran to Geneva, for the second round of nuclear talks with the US which take place on Tuesday. The country’s deputy foreign minister speaks to the BBC about these discussions and says the next steps lie with the US. We get reaction to this interview from a US congressman.
Also in the programme: Nigeria says Russia is recruiting its citizens to fight in the war in Ukraine; and how AI has given a folk singer with motor neurone disease a new voice.
(Photo: Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran's deputy Foreign Minister, during an interview with BBC News in Tehran; Credit: BBC)

Iran's deputy foreign minister has told the BBC that Tehran is ready to consider compromises to reach a nuclear deal with the US, if Washington is willing to discuss lifting sanctions. The US has sent two aircraft carrier groups to the Middle East, ratcheting up pressure on Iran to reach an agreement.

Also in the programme: The French navy seizes a large shipment of cocaine in the Pacific; and how Artificial Intelligence has helped create a new voice for a folk singer with motor neurone disease.

(Photo: Iranian protesters and supporters rally against Iran's ruling establishment during a demonstration in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 14, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Wa Lone)